People

	Dr. Joan Chiao is an Assistant Professor of Psychology in the Brain, Behavior & Cognition and Social Psychology programs at NU. She is also affiliated with the NU Neuroscience Institute, Cognitive Science, Asian American Studies, Technology and Social Behavior and Multidisciplinary Program in Educational Science programs. She received her Ph.D. in Psychology from Harvard in 2006 and her B.S. in Symbolic Systems with honors from Stanford in 2000. When not psychologizing, she likes to learn about cephalopods, play ultimate, travel to long-forgotten parts of the earth and cook for the masses with family and friends.
	Dr. Radha Devi is a research associate in the lab. She is a medical doctor interested in the role of culture in affective processing.
	Genna Bebko is a 4th year graduate student in the NU Institute for Neuroscience (NUIN). She graduated from Allegheny College in 2005 with a B.S. degree in Neuroscience and Psychology along with a Chemistry minor. She is currently researching perceptual and neural processes underlying emotion regulation. Her other research interests include affective, developmental, gender, and consumer neuroscience. When out of lab, she enjoys traveling to tropical locations, hiking, cooking, watching Reno 911!, and spending time with family and friends.
	Donna Jo Bridge is currently a 2nd year neuroscience (NUIN) graduate student. She received a B.A. from Syracuse University with a dual degree in Women's Studies & Psychology. Ever the curious type, you will rarely find Donna idling. She is particularly interested in how the human mind works and aims to bridge cognitive neuroscience and social psychology theories & methodologies with her research. Her primary focus is investigating the the influence of different contexts on learning and memory. She currently is studying how various social contexts (i.e. conceptual social power, emotional state) affect abstract and concrete math performance, local/global processing, learning & memory, and the underlying neural correlates of these mechanisms. In the future, she aims to apply her research to public policy and implement her discoveries in educational institutions. Inside and outside of the lab, you will probably find Donna listening to music, talking, and/or daydreaming.
	Kate Blizinsky is currently a 1st year NUIN graduate student. She rotated in the lab during Fall 2008 and worked on a project examining culture-gene coevolution. She is interested in the neurobiology of stress and well-being.
	Bobby Cheon is a 2^nd year graduate student in the NU Social Psychology program. He received his B.A. in Cognitive Science from the University of Virginia. He is interested in investigating the cultural and neural basis of social behaviors and attitudes. In his spare time, Bobby enjoys traveling, listening to music and exercising.
	Vani Mathur is a 2nd year graduate student in the Brain, Behavior & Cognition program at NU. She received her B.S. in Human Physiology from Boston University in 2005. She is most interested in pain processing and perception, and clinically and publicly relevant applications of pain research. Other than the human brain, Vani's loves include the ballet, BBQ, and her friends and family.
	Katie Rotella is a 1st year graduate student in the Social Psychology program at NU, who is also a member of the NU Interpersonal Perception lab. She received her BA from American University in DC in 2008. She is interested in studying the social and neural basis of stereotyping and prejudice. She loves spending time with family and friends and aside from getting her PhD, her other goal for graduate school is to adopt her own puppy.
	Jason Scimeca is the lab research manager aka lab guru. He hails from the University of Chicago where he earned a BA in Psychology and worked as a research assistant in Dave Gallo’s memory lab. He is interested broadly in cognitive neuroscience and plans to pursue graduate studies in psychology and neuroscience.
	Francesco Bernardi is a predoctoral visiting research scholar from Italy. He received his MA in Neuropsychology and Functional Rehabilitation from the University of Bologna. His main goal is to investigate the relationship between episodic memory and empathy. He is also interested in how cultural factors, such as superstitious beliefs, can affect social behavior. During his spare time, he likes traveling, watching youtube, working out, reading novels and when he is away from Italy, he always looks for typical Italian food to cook for himself and his friends.
	Amanda Armour is a senior Psychology honors thesis student at NU working in the lab. Her honors thesis examines the role that political attitudes play in empathy and altruistic motivation. She is also interested in racial inequities in health care and plans to pursue graduate studies next year.
	Suegene Lee is a senior Psychology honors thesis student from Athens, GA. She did want to go to medical school after graduation, but now is having a quarter-life crisis and deciding whether or not to go down that road. When not stressing out about potential career options and life in general, she likes to draw, shop, and watch movies and a wide array of trashy tv.
	Joseph Lee is a senior Psychology honors thesis student. His honors thesis research examines the influence of culture on attributional style.
	Kosi Oneyeho is a senior majoring in Psychology and Anthropology. She is interested in global health and plans to pursue graduate studies in public health after graduation.
	Patrick Slevin is a sophomore majoring in percussion performance and psychology in the NU double degree program. After graduating he would like to find work that utilizes both music and psychology, such as cognition, neuroscience, or perhaps by working for a record company. In his spare time he enjoys blogging and surfing the blogosphere, spending time outdoors, and eating sushi with lots of wasabi.
	Renny OConnor is a high school senior at the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy. She has figure-skated competitively most of her life as well as plays competitive soccer for IMSA. She is also a class representative in Student Council. She is really interested in psychology and hopes to study it in college. Renny love kids, and wishes to work in the field of psychology with children and families in the future.
	Ankita Khandai is a high school senior at the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy. She is interested in the role of culture on religious beliefs.
	Meena Iyer is a high school senior at the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy. She is interested in the influence of culture on facial attractiveness.

Lab Alumni

	Dr. Tokiko Harada was a postdoctoral research fellow in the lab from 2006-2008. Dr. Harada is currently a research associate in the Department of Psychiatry at Nagoya University.
	Dr. Zhang Li was a postdoctoral visiting scholar in the lab from 2006-2007. Dr Li is currently an Assistant Professor at Capitol Normal University.
	Trixie Lipke was a technical research assistant aka the lab guru from 2007-2008. She is currently a medical school student at the University of Wisconsin.
	Diana Carlson was a senior NU honors thesis student from 2007-08. She is currently pursuing graduate studies at Columbia College in dance therapy.
	Jessica Gayda was a senior NU honors thesis student from 2007-08. She is currently working for the Chicago Public Schools.
	Andrea Katz was a senior NU honors thesis student from 2007-08. She is currently a full-time RA working with Emma Adams in the NU SESP program and plans to pursue graduate studies in psychology.
	Sohad Murrar was an undergraduate RA in the lab from 2006-2008.
	Feifei Ye was a research intern in the lab from 2007-08. She is currently a senior at the Illinois Mathematics and Science Acadmey in Aurora, IL.
	Emily Oby rotated in the lab in Spring 2007 and studied the neural bases of social hierarchy representations in inferior parietal cortex. She is currently a 2^nd year grad student in NUIN and was recently appointed to the Early Years Training grant. Congrats Emily!
	Nick Bowman was a postgraduate research assistant in the lab from 2006-07. He is currently continuing his research as a grad student in NUIN working with Jay Gottfried.
	Melinda Chan was a senior undergraduate research assistant majoring in Psychology at NU from 2006-07. Melinda assisted on too many studies to count. Sadly, we could not convince her that her true calling is in Psychology though happily, she is currently her dream of dentistry as a grad student at UIC. Go teeth!
	Vivian Crosby was a junior research assistant in the lab from 2006-07. She is currently a senior NU Psychology major and kick-ass violinist.
	Xiaoxi Liu (aka wheat_thin) was a research assistant in the lab from 2006-07. Now, she is currently focusing on her studies as a NU sophomore.
	Marisa Luna was a summer research intern in the NU SROP program in 2007. She is currently a graduate student at SDSU.
	Amelia Mutso was a summer research intern in the lab in 2007. She is currently a NUIN graduate student working with Vania Akparian.
	Chantel Liggett was a high school senior intern from the prestigious Illinois Math and Science Academy in 2006-07. She is currently a freshman at Duke University continuing her studies on human sexuality.
	Sarah McPike was a high school senior intern from the prestigious Illinois Math and Science Academy in 2006-07. She is currently a freshman in college continuing her studies on human sexuality.